The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-27
Sherman's Reasons for Attacking the
Outh.

!
outh.
In the campaigns in the Northern States
which preceded the elections this fall there
was very little ''bIoody shirt" talk, except
i'll Ohio. In New York there was so little
that John Sherman was disguised with the
Republican leaders of that State In an in
terview he said that if the stump speakers
for the Republican party in New York had
pursued the same course that was pursued
by the Republican campaign managers In
Ohio, the Republicans would have come
much nearer carrying the State. Was he
rigbtf 1t is probable that he was not.
| There are a few extreme partisans in John
| Shermans State who demand the sort of
talk that he and Gov. Foraker give them,
but such partisans are rather difficult to
find in New York A stump speaker
who presents sectional issues in the
latter State is in great danger of being
| thought tiresome The fact is, that in all,
excepta few, localities very little confidence
is placed in the assertion that the South has
not accepted the results of the war, or that
there is not a free ballot and fair count in
the Southern States.
The truth is that the Republican party is
in want of issues, and it keeps attacking the
South for the purpose of hiding its poverty
in that respect. John Sherman, who is one
of the shrewdest of the Republican leaders,
| if not the shrewdest of them all, insists upon
holding on to the "bloody shirt" programme
because he sees that without it his party is
likely to be without any programme
whatever The only distinctive doctrine
that the Republican party now has is that
of high protective tariff. The more that
is discussed the less likely is it to strengthen
that party. 1t may make a few converts to
that party in States where converts will do
it no good, but at the same time it will do
it an immense amount of damage in States
where it needs all the adherents it has to
maintain its present strength. In Michigan,
Iowa, and other Northwestern States, the
people do not see how a high protective
tariff benefits them, and on the tariff issue
alone, the two above named States, from
being strongly Republican, have become
doubtful.
1t is not to be wondered at, therefore, that
John Sherman insists upon keeping the
sectional issues in the foreground. During
the present winter he will doubtless utilize
every occasion to attack the South. 1t is
understood that following his lead an at
tempt will be made to show that Congress-
man Elliott, of South Carolina, was elected
by suppressing the colored vote. Small,
who proposes to contest Col. ElliOtts right
to a seat in the House, will undoubtedly
allege that his colored friends were not al
lowed to vote, and that the votes of many
of those who cast their ballots were not
counted. 1t is fortunate that Col Elliott
can meet all such charges successfully and
can show beyond question that the colored
people in his district were not interfered
with in any way, and that their ballots
were counted as they were cast.
The people of the North are beginning to
understand that the reason a larger colored
vote is not cast is that the colored people
are not now urged and driven to the polls
as they were when the carpet-bag govern
ments were in power. The colored people
have found out that their rights are as fully
protected under Democratic as under Re-
publican rule, and very large percentage
of them, therefore, does not take the trouble
to go to the polls. Even the extreme
Republican partisans of Ohio will have to
admit after while that this is the truth
about the colored vote.